Man headed to jail for indecency with a child

Thomas Lane Boyd was sentenced to two 20-year sentences in the Texas Department of Corrections by Judge Carter Tarrance in the 392nd District Court of Henderson County, according to a news release Friday from District Attorney Scott McKee.

Both sentences were the maximum allowed under the law for the charges.

Boyd pleaded guilty to indecency with a child and to prohibited sexual contact. Boyd then asked the court to assess his punishment.

The conviction for prohibited sexual contact stems from a 1997 interview of a 13-year-old child who made an outcry that Boyd had sexually abused her. The case was investigated, but closed after the girl’s mother filed an affidavit of nonprosecution. McKee said Boyd pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with the girl, now an adult, as recently as 2012.

The conviction for indecency with a child stems from a 2012 outcry made by a 4-year-old female. The child told her mother that Boyd bought her a “Tinkerbelle” costume from Wal-Mart and took her to eat at McDonalds. After the outing, Boyd sexually abused the child, McKee said.

Tarrance heard evidence from the mother of the young child, who testified about the devastation caused by the sexual abuse and the counseling her child needed. The judge also heard that the defendant has previously been convicted of arson and numerous other crimes.

Assistant District Attorney Jenny Palmer, in asking for the maximum sentence of 20 years, said, “the defendant is a clear and present danger … to himself, to the community and especially to children in his care. Both victims have waited a long time for justice and this defendant deserves to be punished severely.”